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Signs of an Arizona Depression?

March 31, 2008 by 5 Comments

Chip Diller

Another scary story via Drudge Report asserting that the US is heading into a Depression. Yes, that’s right, not a recession but rather a depression.

The article states that the rising demand for food stamps is a good indication that things are rapidly heading downhill. According to the article, “Forty states are reporting increases in applications for the stamps, actually electronic cards that are filled automatically once a month by the government and are swiped by shoppers at the till, in the 12 months from December 2006. At least six states, including Florida, Arizona and Maryland, have had a 10 per cent increase in the past year.”

Although we’re not entirely privy to the backroom details, Sonoran Alliance would like to know just how bad things really are, especially in light of the Governor’s reaction to the State Treasurer, Dean Martin’s assertion that the State will run out of money within the next 30 days.

The Governor’s non-chalant attitude makes us wonder if there are details she would rather not reveal as she nears a potential exit to a national level post.

I’d hate to be Secretary of State Jan Brewer and inherit Napolitano’s crisis.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Economics

Rematch in Tempe

March 31, 2008 by 1 Comment

Tune in to Horizon tonight at 7:00 pm for a re-match between Arizona House of Representatives Director of Communications Barrett Marson and Arizona Democratic Party Director of Communications Emily Bittner.

It will be interesting to see if a public figure like Bittner has discover the downside to falsely casting aspersions on others for what they do in their lives outside of their official duties. Bittner loves to go on the attack but a few blog stories last weekend about public records on file with Maricopa County sent her lawyer into a public relations nightmare. The dust kicked up from the whole mess just put the story in the Republic on Sunday and the Yellow Sheet on Monday. We are all better when public figure stick to solutions for Arizona’s challenges.

As Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party Maria Weeg was quoted in the Republic on Sunday let’s not “bring this kind of personal stuff into the public sphere.” Good advice to anyone.

Filed Under: Media

US to spend millions on border fence – In Egypt

March 31, 2008 by 6 Comments

One of the criticisms of the border fence along the US/Mexico border fence is that we cannot afford the cost. I think if the US has enough money to help build a fence in Egypt we should be able to finish securing our own border.

Filed Under: Border, Federal Budget, National Security

Vice President Napolitano?

March 30, 2008 by 13 Comments

Sonoran Alliance is making an effort to get back to our niche of reporting on politics specific to Arizona but here is a posting that covers both Presidential politics and the Arizona scene. (Thanks to EspressoPundit for the initial link.)

OpEdNews.com has an editorial suggesting that Governor Janet Napolitano is likely to be pulled to serve on an Obama ticket. Seems to make sense in terms of numbers and demographics. Arizona has 10 electoral votes surrounded by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, also with Democratic governors. It also throws a challenge directly to the home turf of Senator McCain who could even lose in his home state to a popular Democratic governor who was re-elected two years ago.

An Obama/Napolitano ticket for the Dems would also set off a seismic shift in Arizona politics as politicians seek to fill vacated seats either by Napolitano or McCain.

It certainly is an interesting speculation but I still believe that the Dems will heal things up by putting Hillary on the ticket.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Muslims Outnumber Catholics

March 30, 2008 by 4 Comments

Drudge Report has a link to a story claiming that members of Islam now outnumber members of the Catholic faith. The Vatican made the announcement in which is asserts that 19.2% of the world’s population is Muslim while 17.4% are Catholic. The Vatican also believes that if all Christians (Protestants, Anglicans, Orthodox were considered, the number would be about 33% of the world’s population.

But perhaps the most profound revelation was that, “while the number of Catholics as a proportion of the world’s population was fairly stable, the percentage of Muslims was growing because of higher birth rates.”

The debate over changing demographics and birth rates has actually been a topic of discussion for some time now among population gurus. In April, 2007, we featured a very interesting article titled, The Four Major Transformations, written by Herbert Meyer. Take some time to re-read and cast your thoughts on the topic.

Filed Under: Demographics, Religion

Chicken Little can now go boating

March 29, 2008 by 3 Comments

In February we covered the Sky is Falling hysteria (Lakes are Drying Out version) over at a democrat’s lament. We have an update that Lake Powell is expected to RISE 50 feet because of  above average snow pack. Anyone who has been to the lake or can read a map will know that represents a lot of water.

Recharge of the Colorado River system will help insure a future supply of water for numerous other lakes along the river as well as the Central Arizona Project.

Funny how there seems to be a cycle of life, almost like an invisible hand working behind the scene. Dare we say a creator who provides?

Filed Under: Environment

Privacy in the Internet age

March 28, 2008 by 10 Comments

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Sonoran Alliance went with a story and soon a lawyer was calling us. The issue related to someone’s privacy or expectation there of.

Note to the world. If you do not want people to know where you live DO NOT BLOG about it on the website of the states largest newspaper! If you want to stay out of the public realm then maybe PUBLIC relations is not the career for you. One more point – If you would like to be treated with some respect then treat others that way.

A quote from the blog article linked above:

I’m squarely between two of my favorite places: Biltmore Fashion Park and Scottsdale Fashion Square.

You tell the world your name with a photo attached, your line of work, that you have just bought a house, and in what part of town and you expect privacy.

Filed Under: Privacy

Pelosi in the valley this Saturday

March 28, 2008 by 7 Comments

Pelosi-Giffords.jpg

Madam Speaker will be in the Valley of the Sun on Saturday, March 29th. She will be appearing at a private residence as a fundraiser for “moderate” Representative Giffords. We understanding tickets are selling fast.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Bittner should stick to the issues

March 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment
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One Monday’s Horizon show Arizona Democratic Party Communications Director Emily Bittner sunk her fangs into Speaker James Weiers. It is a sad fact of the lending business that sometimes it becomes necessary to take action on unpaid obligations. Banks in Arizona have been foreclosing on families and repossessing their homes in order to recover some of the money they loaned on the property. The reality is that from placing a lien to filing for foreclosure, the ability to collect is what allows companies to loan money in the first place. If there was no process for recovering on an unpaid loan the credit markets would dry up and most working Arizona families would not be able to purchase homes. It would be much better for the state if the spokesperson for the Democrats would stick to solutions to the difficult issues facing Arizona instead of using demagoguery to describe lawful commerce.

Filed Under: Political Parties

Update: Dowling vs. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

March 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

The Court of Appeals has issued a decision on the case of Sandra Dowling vs. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Judge Daniel Barker affirmed but also modified an earlier decision in which Dowling had challenged the Board on their decision to shut down the Pappas Schools.

Read the decision here.

Filed Under: County Government, Education
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